// Simon/Seaton //
THE PASSION OF MARY CARDWELL DAWSON
Season subscribers should log in to their NCO Account Manager to add on tickets at the subscriber discount rate.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7:30PM
Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 7:30PM
Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 2:00PM
A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater
Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
THE PASSION OF MARY CARDWELL DAWSON runs approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.
OVERVIEW
Starring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves! North Carolina-born trailblazer Mary Cardwell Dawson founded the National Negro Opera Company in the mid-20th century, creating unprecedented opportunities for Black artists and audiences across America. One evening in 1943, the company is scheduled to perform Carmen on a floating barge on the Potomac River. When inclement weather threatens to force the performance into a segregated hall, Mary must navigate the raging storms to ensure the show goes on.
Written by Mark Twain Award-winning playwright, Sandra Seaton, the play features selections from the repertory of the National Negro Opera Company including Bizet’s CARMEN, and original music from Grammy-nominated composer Carlos Simon.
MORE INFO
- College student tickets are $15 and can be purchased online, or by calling the NCO Box Office at 919.792.3853. A valid student ID must be presented at will-call to pick up tickets. Limit of 2 tickets per ID.
- Subscribers: log in to your NCO Account Manager to purchase tickets with your subscriber discount and enjoy waived handling fees, or contact the Box Office at 919.792.3853.
- Groups 10+ save on tickets: call the Box Office at 919.792.3853 to book your group now.
QUESTIONS? We’re here to help! Call the Box Office at 919.792.3853.
SPECIAL EVENTS
- Special Exhibit: Mary Cardwell Dawson – Building The Stage Through artifacts, photographs, and narratives, Building the Stage highlights Dawson’s determination to create opportunities for Black opera singers in the mid-20th century, at a time when access to the arts was severely limited for African Americans. The exhibit celebrates Dawson’s contributions to the world of opera, and will be on display in the lobby throughout the weekend. Doors open 90 minutes prior to each performance. Building the Stage exhibit originally designed for and created by The Denyce Graves Foundation.
- Arts Access will provide free audio description services at the Friday, December 13th performance.
- The Theater is a Sanctuary: Exploring Mental Health, Self- Expression, and Healing Through Art Join Darkness RISING Project, artists, mental health advocates, and community leaders to explore how the performing arts create safe spaces for self-expression, emotional healing, and fostering mental well-being. The conversation will delve into the transformative power of storytelling and performance in addressing mental health challenges, breaking stigmas, and cultivating community. Darkness RISING will share their insight on how they have utilized creative expression through their organization, to provide mental health resources and tools to those navigating life’s complexities, empowering through advocacy, and those actively rising to REBUILD. This discussion will follow the Friday evening performance and is free for Friday night ticketholders.
- Saturday, December 14th is HBCU Night at the Opera! We encourage you to wear school colors, Greek letters, and show your HBCU pride.
- Honoring the Legacy of Mary Cardwell Dawson: Equity and Access for Black Musicians in Opera and Classical Music NC Opera’s Engagement Coordinator, Micaela Bundy, hosts artists, music historians, and representatives from The Denyce Graves Foundation to discuss systemic inequities that continue to limit access for Black musicians in opera and classical music. The conversation will highlight the role of HBCUs and other institutions in nurturing Black talent, and successful initiatives for increasing diversity in classical music through the role of mentorship, scholarships, and community programs. This event will follow the Saturday evening performance and is free for Saturday night ticketholders.
- Trusting Your Voice and Standing Your Ground: A Roundtable Discussion with Angela Connor, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ASCENDING Magazine Mary Cardwell Dawson’s refusal to perform in segregated venues required immense trust in her own voice, and an unwillingness to relent in the face of pressure. We’ll chat about how outside influences often make us question ourselves, and ways women in the workplace can focus on self-reliance and trusting their own judgment over outside opinions. This discussion will follow the Sunday matinee performance and is free for Sunday afternoon ticketholders.
THE ARTISTS
Denyce Graves
Mary Cardwell Dawson
Johnnie Felder
Frank
Díana Thompson-Brewer
Isabelle
Taylor-Alexis Dupont
Phoebe
Kimille Howard
Director
Donald Lee III
Music Director
Sandra Seaton
Playwright and Librettist
Carlos Simon
Composer
Play by Sandra Seaton. Original music by Carlos Simon. Text for original music by Sandra Seaton. Commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival.
SUPPORTED BY
No refunds. All sales final. Casting subject to change.
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